Wintrow/Kennit SPOILERS ALL HOBB BOOKS INCL COD

[londonlassie]

I am back from the dead! Well, not really, but Virgin Media has saved us from the lack of internet and now we have it back a lot earlier than originally assumed.

I still have to come back and go into all of this but...

Kennit, as much as I hate him, is one of the most well-written characters I've ever been introduced to. He is so easy to like from both a reader's and fellow character's perspective because he is meant to be. His reasons and experiences for being so aside, he is the perfect human predator. While our world is dotted with those who attack their prey anonymously and through violent means, the larger (and more successful and difficult to pin down) portion attack through familiarity and love/friendship. They are devious and kind and, outside of instinct, concrete proof of their actions and intentions is often very extremely difficult to produce or quantify. They are experts at skirting and dodging and making others question themselves and it is very often these ones who are deemed by society as being 'good' or 'community-minded' or a 'pillar' of said society (you know you're addicted to RotE when your mind immediately flits to Skill Pillars and you wonder if a connection can be made! ).

Kennit is looked up to. He even has the title of 'King' bestowed upon him and he goes to his grave (er, liveship ) with only a select few holding secret the truth of what he truly was. The one he physically hurt the most is not protected but questioned and punished (even by those who are closest to her), looked down on, made to feel guilty about her part.

The phone's ringing ... I say all this as being how I see Kennit, and I understand that many (most! ) others see him differently.

Wow, Farseer, is the first thing I have to say. Just wow. These are very well thought out posts - the kind I love to spend ages analysing And I have to say, I agree. I don't have anything to disagree with or add, because I wholly agree. Except with the hating Kennit part. I don't, as I think most of this board is now aware, due to my irrational Kennit-defending ramblings

While Wintrow did go untouched, I'm not sure that Kennit even took on this protector role with true and clear intentions, and his reactions to Althea as a feminine form of Wintrow is what makes me question that, I think.

I think Kennit's intentions were pure when he originally came by this desire to protect Wintrow, if only because he was linked with Vivacia at the time. If she had sensed anything amiss in Kennit's feelings, I think she would've told Wintrow to be wary even if she wasn't sure what the something was. Instead, she was just infatuated with Kennit, so she must have felt that his intentions were pure.

Strangely, a part of me did think a couple of times that if Kennit had survived, once Wintrow was a bit older and not a child - because I don't think Kennit would ever really have forced himself on Wintrow, he knew it was wrong - Wintrow might have ended up being the person Kennit let in. He certainly had feelings for Wintrow. And I think he actually cared about him in his own distant way, which was more than he did for anybody else.

I have known many Kennits and, well... ...I can't help but go all Fitz-berserker when I speak of them these days. Funny where you can get your courage when it's not yourself you have to defend.

I've also known a Kennit, although only one. I reacted to him the way I reacted to Kennit - the same desire to get close to him and make him better.

If anything, knowing this "Kennit" only made me all the more determined that while Kennit did some horrible things, he was not a horrible person. Not underneath all the front and callousness. He was just vulnerable and traumatised and hurting.

I had to delete the smileys from the quotes because apparently this post had too many